Military ranks of the Swedish Armed Forces

Contents

Rank order and duty grade

The Swedish Armed Forces uses the term tjänsteställning to describe a comparative order of seniority and responsibility (etc.).ranks are shown in the table below.

OF
(Officer Ranks)		 Other Ranks
(Specialistofficerare)
OF-9 (General, Amiral)
OF-8 (Generallöjtnant, Viceamiral)
OF-7 (Generalmajor, Konterameral)
OF-6 (Brigadgeneral, Flottiljamiral)
OF-5 (Överste, Kommendör)
OF-4 (Överstelöjtnant, Kommendörkapten)
  OR-9 (Regements-/Flottiljförvaltare)
OF-3 (Major, Örlogskapten)  
OF-2 (Kapten)
  OR-8 (Förvaltare)
OF-1 (Löjtnant)
  OR-7 (Fanjunkare, Flagg- styrman,konstapel,maskinist)
OF-1 (Fänrik)  
  OR-6 (Förste Sergeant, Förste- styrman,konstapel,maskinist)
Squad leaders, soldiers and seamen
OR-5 (Sergeant)
OR-4 (Korpral)
OR-3 (Vice korpral)
OR-2 (Menig 1kl)
OR-1 (Menig)

Distribution of personnel vs ranks

Personnel[1][2]
Officers, including reserve officers 2009[1] 2010[2]
OF-9 General / Admiral 2 2
OF-7 - OF-8 Maj, General / Rear Admiral, Lt. General / Vice Admiral 40 43
OF-6 Brigadier General / Rear Admiral LH 85 86
OF-5 Colonel / Captain (N) 268 263
OF-4 Lieutenant Colonel / Commander 1,174 1,217
OF-3 Major / Lieutenant Commander 3,053 2,891
OF-2 Captain / Lieutenant (N) 7,586 7,433
OF-1 Lieutenant / Sub Lieutenant 5,652 5,428
OF-1 Second Lieutenant / Acting Sub Lieutenant 571 749
OR-9 Regimental Sergeant Major / Command Master Chief Petty Officer 0 0
OR-8 Sergeant Major / Master Chief Petty Officer ' 0 0
OR-7 Colour Sergeant 21 8
OR-6 First Sergeant 260 89+(427)
Total number of officers 18,712 18,636
Soldiers, seamen, specialists and squad leaders, not including conscripts
OR-5 Sergeant 770 909
OR-4 Corporal
OR-3 Lance Corporal
OR-2 Private 1st class
OR-1 Private
Total number of solider, seamen, specialists and squad leaders 770 909
Officer candidates[1][2]
Officer candidates who graduate as Fanrik 2010 107
Officer candidates who graduate as Fanrik 2011 117
Officer candidates who graduate as Fanrik 2012 163
S-Officer candidates who graduate as First Sergeant 2010 317
Total officer candidates 704

Ranks and Insignias

The table below shows ranks according to seniority, with the most senior to the right. OF denotes officers, OR other ranks (as per STANAG 2116). Those ranks were ratified by the supreme commander on October 24, 2008 and became effective as of January 1, 2009.[3]. Military ranks of (primarily) Great Britain have been used as a basis for harmonization with NATO.

Army
and
Amphibious
Corps		 Soldiers Specialist Officers (NCO) Officers (NCO and CO)
OR-1 OR-2 OR-3 OR-4 OR-5 OR-6 OR-7 OR-8 OR-9 OF-1 OF-2 OF-3 OF-4 OF-5 OF-6 OF-7 OF-8 OF-9
Branch
insignia1
Menig Menig 1kl2 Vicekorpral Korpral Sergeant Förste sergeant Fanjunkare Förvaltare Regements-
förvaltare		 Fänrik Löjtnant Kapten Major Överste-
löjtnant		 Överste Brigad-
general		 General-
major		 General-
löjtnant		 General
Navy Seamen Specialist Officers (NCO) Officers (NCO and CO)
OR-1 OR-2 OR-3 OR-4 OR-5 OR-6 OR-7 OR-8 OR-9 OF-1 OF-2 OF-3 OF-4 OF-5 OF-6 OF-7 OF-8 OF-9
Menig Menig 1kl2 Vicekorpral Korpral Sergeant Förste
-styrman,
-konstapel,
-maskinist		 Flagg-
styrman,
konstapel,
maskinist		 Förvaltare Flottilj
förvaltare		 Fänrik Löjtnant Kapten Örlogskapten' Komendör-
kapten		 Komendör Flotilj-
amiral		 Konter-
amiral		 Viceamiral Amiral
Air
force		 Airmen Specialist Officers (NCO) Officers (NCO and CO)
OR-1 OR-2 OR-3 OR-4 OR-5 OR-6 OR-7 OR-8 OR-9 OF-1 OF-2 OF-3 OF-4 OF-5 OF-6 OF-7 OF-8 OF-9
Menig Menig 1kl2 Vicekorpral Korpral Sergeant Förste sergeant Fanjunkare Förvaltare Flottilj-
förvaltare		 Fänrik Löjtnant Kapten Major Överste-
löjtnant		 Överste Brigad-
general		 General-
major		 General-
löjtnant		 General
Trainee
Defense school students
OR-2 OR-3 OR-4 OR-5
Aspirant year 1 year 2 year 3
Home
Guard		 Home Guard Soliders and Squad Leaders Home Guard Officers
OR-1 OR-2 OR-4 OR-5 OR-6 OR-7 OF-1 OF-2 OF-3
Menig Menig 1kl Korpral Sergeant Förste sergeant Fanjunkare Fänrik Löjtnant Kapten Major
1 Menig wear branch insignia (see table below).
2 Menig 1kl are given one additional bar/stripe per year in service (see table below) without advancement in rank, seniority and skill level. Therefore, insignias with more than one stripe is out of the scope of the rank table and hence put separately.
Branch insignias
Infantry Cavalry Artillery Armored Air-Defense Engineering Signal Supply Amphibious
Years in service insignias for Menig 1kl
Army, Amphibious Corps Navy Air force

Translation to English

This table shows the official translations[4] of the Swedish ranks and their abbreviations.

Translation of OR, Other Ranks to english
Code Swedish Rank Army Navy Amphibious Corps Airforce
OR-1 Menig Private Pte Seaman S Marine M Airman Amn
OR-2 Menig 1.kl Private First Class PFC Seaman First Class SFC Marine First Class MFC Airman First Class AFC
OR-3 Vicekorpral Lance Corporal LCpl Able Seaman AS Lance Corporal LCpl Senior Airman SrA
OR-4 Korpral Corporal Cpl Able Seaman First Class ASFC Corporal Cpl Corporal Cpl
OR-5 Sergeant Sergeant Sgt Leading Seaman LS Sergeant Sgt Sergeant Sgt
OR-6 1:e Sergeant
1:e Styrman1
1:e Konstapel1
1:e Maskinist1		 Sergeant First Class SgtFC Petty Officer PO Sergeant First Class SgtFC Sergeant First Class SgtFC
OR-7 Fanjunkare
Flaggstyrman1
Flaggkonstapel1
Flaggmaskinist1		 Colour Sergeant CSgt Chief Petty Officer CPO Colour Sergeant CSgt Colour Sergeant CSgt
OR-8 Förvaltare Sergeant Major WO2 Master Chief Petty Officer WO Sergeant Major WO2 Sergeant Major WO2
OR-9 Regementsförvaltare
Flottiljförvaltare2
 Regimental Sergeant Major WO1 Chief Warrant Officer CWO Regimental Sergeant Major WO1 Wing Sergeant Major WO1
Translation of OF, Officer Ranks to english
Code Swedish Rank Army Navy Amphibious Corps Airforce
OF-1 Fänrik Second Lieutenant 2Lt Acting Sub-Lieutenant ASLt Second Lieutenant 2Lt Second Lieutenant 2Lt
OF-1 Löjtnant Lieutenant Lt Sub-Lieutenant SLt Lieutenant Lt Lieutenant Lt
OF-2 Kapten Captain Capt Lieutenant (N)3 Lt (N)3 Captain Capt Captain Capt
OF-3 Major
Örlogskapten1		 Major Maj Lieutenant Commander LtCdr Major Maj Major Maj
OF-4 Överstelöjtnant
Kommendörkapten1		 Lieutenant Colonel LtCol Commander Cdr Lieutenant Colonel LtCol Lieutenant Colonel LtCol
OF-5 Överste
Kommendör1		 Colonel Col Captain (N)3 Capt (N)3 Colonel Col Colonel Col
OF-6 Brigadgeneral
Flottiljamiral1		 Brigadier General BGen Rear Admiral
(lower half)		 RAdm (LH) Brigadier General BGen Brigadier General BGen
OF-7 Generalmajor
Konteramiral1		 Major General MajGen Rear Admiral RAdm Major General MajGen Major General MajGen
OF-8 Generallöjtnant
Viceamiral1		 Lieutenant General LtGen Vice Admiral VAdm Lieutenant General LtGen Lieutenant General LtGen
OF-9 General
Amiral1		 General Gen Admiral Adm General Gen General Gen
1 used in the Navy.
2 used in the Navy and Air Force.
3 for clarification of ranks, personnel in Navy appends (N) after rank or abbrevation.

Historic Ranks

Ranks between 1983 and 2009

Conscripts
soldiers, squad leaders, quartermasters		 Conscript Officers
platoon and company commanders
Professional (NCO and CO)
Instructors, drill sergeants, recruit platoon/company leaders, clerks and administrators

(Plutonsofficerare (NCO) + Kompaniofficerare (NCO) + Regementsofficerare (CO))
Army
Trainee
ranks		 Menig3

Korpral		 Furir

Kadett SO1		 Sergeant

Kadett OHS2 1st,2nd year		 Fänrik Löjtnant Kapten Major Överste-
löjtnant		 Överste Överste 1gr Brigad-
general		 General-
major		 General-
löjtnant		 General

Ranks between 1972 and 1983

Conscripts Conscript Officers
Platoon Officers
(Underbefäl NCO)		 Company Officers
(Underofficerare NCO)
Regiment Officers (Officers CO)
Regular
ranks
Trainee
ranks		 Menig

Korpral		 Furir Överfurir

Kadett1		 Sergeant

Kadett2-3		 Fanjunkare Fänrik Löjtnant Kapten Major
Örlogs-
kapten		 Överste-
löjtnant
Komendör-
kapten		 Överste
Komendör		 Överste
1gr
Komendör
1gr		 General-
major
Konter-
amiral		 General-
löjtnant
Viceamiral		 General
Amiral

Ranks before 1972

Conscripts Conscript Under Officers Conscript Officers
Underbefäl (NCO) Underofficerare (NCO) Officerare(CO)
Regular
ranks
Trainee
ranks		 Menig

Vicekorpral		 Korpral Furir Överfurir Rustmästare Sergeant

Kadett1-2		 Fanjunkare Förvaltare Fänrik Löjtnant Kapten Major
Örlogs-
kapten		 Överste-
löjtnant
Komendör-
kapten		 Överste
Komendör		 General-
major
Konter-
amiral		 General-
löjtnant
Viceamiral		 General
Amiral

Note that the rank of Fältmarskalk (Field Marshal) was a de jure rank before the reform of 1972, even though it has not been used since 1824.

Historical perspective of Rank order and duty grade

The Swedish Armed Forces uses the term tjänsteställning to describe a comparative order of seniority and responsibility (etc.). When the conscript army was introduced in 1901 all officers had a higher tjänsteställning than the warrant officers(underofficerare) and non-commissioned officers(underbefäl). In a reform 1926 the tjänsteställning of the then highest warrant officer, fanjunkare, was increased to be equal with the junior officer rank underlöjtnant. In 1960 the tjänsteställning of the warrant officers were elevated further so that

i. The lowest warrant officer, sergeant, had a tjänsteställning just below the lowest officer rank, fänrik.

ii. The second warrant officer rank, fanjunkare, had a tjänsteställning between fänrik and löjtnant

iii. The highest warrant officer rank, förvaltare, had a tjänsteställning between lieutenant and captain.

A reform 1972 renamed the underofficerare category kompaniofficerare and gave them the same rank titles and tjänsteställning as the junior officers (fänrik, löjtnant, kapten). The tjänsteställning of the ranks sergeant and fanjunkare were reduced such that fänrik again had a higher tjänsteställning than fanjunkare (the förvaltare rank was abolished). By a major reform (NBO 1983), professional non-commissioned and commissioned officers corps merged into a single corps called professional officers (officers). In 2008 the Swedish parliament decided to reintroduce a two track career system with a category called specialistofficerare. It was decided that some ranks in this category should, like the old underofficerare ranks in 1960-1972, have a tjänsteställning higher than the most junior officers. The current tjänsteställning of the Swedish ranks are shown in the table below.

References

  1. ^ a b c http://www.mil.se/upload/dokumentfiler/Årsredovisningar/Årsredovisning%202008/Bilaga%203%20Årsredovisning%202008.pdf
  2. ^ a b c http://www.forsvarsmakten.se/upload/dokumentfiler/%C3%85rsredovisningar/%C3%85rsredovisning%202009/%C3%85R%2009%20bilaga%202.pdf
  3. ^ Lieutenant Colonel Landström, Matthias (April 2008). Utveckling av tvåbefälssystemet i Försvarsmakten 16100:66576. pp. 5. 
  4. ^ Translation of ranks to english
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